Azerbaijani First lady Mehriban Aliyeva’s visit to Italy and Vatican in spotlight of Italian media

First Lady of Azerbaijan, President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Mehriban Aliyeva was on a visit to Vatican and Rome from 28 November to 2 December. She took part in solemn events marking the 20th anniversary of Azerbaijan’s independence and held a number of meetings. Azerbaijani First Lady’s visit and events dedicated to the country were given a broad coverage by the local media. 

“Rome Opera House, which opened the new season with Verdi's "Macbeth", gave its scene to the disposal of musicians, who came from afar. For several days, the theater lobby was a venue for celebrations of the country, which is considered the last frontier of Europe." This is how the article titled “Azerbaijan’s First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva. Azerbaijan’s success in Opera” in influential Italian newspaper Cronaca di Roma begins.

“Art, music, delicacies – this is how the First Lady of Azerbaijan presents her country,” the article says. Yes, Italian society will remember this presentation for a long time, since the ceremony held in the capital of Italy at the initiative of Heydar Aliyev Foundation left a deep impression in the hearts for its brilliance, beauty, form and content, and originality.

The First Lady’s meetings in Vatican and Italy and celebrations were highlighted as the most important events in social and cultural life of Rome.

Giornalistica İtalia Agency also highlighted the major event marking the 20th anniversary of Azerbaijan’s independence held in Opera House on 30 November. The article said that the event will further enhance the friendly ties between the two countries.

The 2 December issue of Cronaca di Roma also had an article about Mehriban Aliyeva’s visit to Italy and her meeting with spouse of Italian Prime Minister Elsa Monti. The article says that First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva, who was on a visit to Italy in order to promote the 20th anniversary of the restoration of independence of her country, met with Elsa Monti and held important talks in the field of education.

The most visited website of Italy roma.repubblica.it published a review on Azerbaijani First Lady’s visit to Italy and Vatican. It gave detailed information about meetings and talks Mehriban Aliyeva had with Italian President Giorgio Napolitano, Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi and Italian Prime Minister’s spouse Elsa Monti. “In the past few days, beautiful First Lady of Azerbaijan Mehriban Aliyeva has taken part in friendly events in Rome marking the 20th anniversary of independence of her country. Italy is the first trade partner of Azerbaijan. In a series of official meetings, Goodwill Ambassador of UNESCO Mrs. Aliyeva also touched upon issues of cooperation between the two countries,” the website says.

The event in the Rome Opera House dedicated to the 20th anniversary of Azerbaijan’s independence was broadly covered also by Tutta Roma newspaper. The article tells about the impression that the Azerbaijani culture left on a public in Rome. The article also gives an overview of Mrs. Mehriban Aliyeva's speech. It notes that the event had attracted attention of prominent figures in Italy. Cultural event, attended by prominent people of the country, aroused great interest.

The article published in Corriere della Sera under the title of “State Orchestra concert, which performed national music and works by Vivaldi. Azerbaijani event of Opera” says: “Heydar Aliyev Foundation’s President Mrs. Mehriban Aliyeva said that she will assist in the amount of EUR 100,000 to restore one of the most important historical monuments in Rome.” The article also stresses that the wife of Italian Prime Minister Elsa Monti held her first meeting of the international level with the First Lady of Azerbaijan.

The comments about the meeting with Vatican Cardinal Ravasi focus on ties between Vatican and Azerbaijan. “It was noted at the meeting that around 40 manuscripts related to Azerbaijan, which are kept in Vatican library, are being restored. Fifteen manuscripts, including an old Quran, have already been restored. Based on friendship between the two countries, Cardinal Ravasi asked the Azerbaijani Government and First Lady to support the restoration of St. Pietro and Marchellino catacombs in Rome,” the article says.

Another influential Italian newspaper la Republica published an article titled “Azerbaijani event in Opera today” in its 2 December issue. “Italy has embraced Azerbaijan. Solemn ceremony to mark the 20th anniversary of independence of the former Soviet republic will be held today at the Opera House. The main purpose of the musical event is to present the culture of Azerbaijan, which has high-level economic ties with Italy. The event is hosted by First Lady of Azerbaijan Mrs. Mehriban Aliyeva.”

According to the Italian press, events dedicated to Azerbaijan arouse great interest. And this is no accident. First lady Mehriban Aliyeva’s informative speech based on numerous facts about the success of Azerbaijan in the years of independence, amazing overture to Koroghlu opera by brilliant composer Uzeyir Hajibayli, priceless masterpieces of ancient cultural heritage of Azerbaijani nation – carpets, copper ware, national musical instruments, folk songs, and rich cuisine – won the hearts of Italians. Accurately expressing the essence of these unforgettable events, Mrs. Aliyeva said: "This evening, we will present you just a small part of our culture, and I hope that the interest and respect for our country in your hearts will grow even more. I hope that this event will bring our nations and peoples even closer.” These thoughts by M.Aliyeva are confirmed in articles about Azerbaijan in the Italian press. Celebration of the 20th anniversary of Azerbaijan’s independence in Rome, the cradle of ancient cultures of Europe, will be remembered for long.